Second Offense DUI Penalties in Massachusetts

Second Offense DUI Penalties

A Second Offense DUI /OUI/DWI in Massachusetts is punishable by a fine of between $600 and $10,000, and/or a period of incarceration from 30 days to 2 Â˝ years in the House of Correction. If youâ€™re convicted of a Second Offense DUI, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles will suspend your license for up to 2 years.

Prior Offenses

Any prior DUI offense potentially counts as a first offense. For Example, if you picked up a Drunk Driving offense in California while you were a sophomore in college twenty years ago; the new offense youâ€™ve picked up as a result of a couple glasses of wine at dinner out with your family will count as a second offense. This is owed to the Massachusetts â€śLifetime Lookbackâ€ť policy for multiple offense OUIs.

If your prior offense disposition is more than ten years from the date of your alleged second offense, you may be eligible for a second first-offense disposition. Under this alternative, known as a Cahill Disposition you would be ordered to a period of probation during which time you would have to enter and complete the First Offender Driver Alcohol Education Program, often referred to as the 24D Program. The benefit of the Cahill Disposition is that you would be eligible for a HARDSHIP LICENSE immediately, even during a Chemical Test Refusal suspension.

Chemical Test Refusal

If you refused the Breathalyzer Test where you were suspected of a 2nd Offense DUI in Massachusetts, your license is suspended for three years. You are NOT eligible for a hardship license during your refusal suspension. The first fifteen days of that three-year suspension are crucial. Within those fifteen days we will get you into the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Boston to challenge that suspension through a CHEMICAL TEST REFUSAL APPEAL.

License Suspension

A Second Offense DUI Conviction will result in a suspension of your license for up to 2 years. In order to qualify for a 2nd offense hardship license you will need to first complete the 14 day in-patient program. From that program you will need to provide the Registry with a Discharge Summary. You will also need to provide proof of compliance with the after-care ordered by the program. Lastly you will need to provide documentation indicating your hardship. For work or educational purposes you will be eligible for a hardship license 1 year into your suspension. For any other general hardship you will have to complete 18 months of your suspension before you will be eligible for hardship.

Once you are approved for hardship on your 2nd Offense DUI suspension, you will have to arrange for the installation of your IID.

Ignition Interlock Device

An added penalty for a second offense DUI is that you will be required to have an ignition interlock device (IID) installed in your car. An IID is essentially a breathalyzer that is integrated into your vehicleâ€™s ignition system. You are required to submit a breath sample every time you start your car and periodically as you drive. As a condition of your second offense (or greater) disposition the ignition interlock device must be installed during any hardship license period as well as for an additional two years following the reinstatement of your license.

A Second Offense DUI is a serious matter with potentially serious consequences. Your Life and Your License are too important to go it alone. Call Attorney James G. DeGiacomo Now about your Second Offense DUI for your Free Case Evaluation at 617-315-8377 so that we can get you back on the road and back to your normal life.

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Ryan Hammond

22:59 13 Feb 18

Jim represented me and did an excellent job. His attention to detail in my case was second to none. I highly recommend him as a defense attorney.

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16:17 14 Aug 17

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Gregory Noble

20:31 05 Jul 17

Jim is a great attorney. He is smart, kind and well-regarded in the community. He works hard for his clients applying the skills that he has learned working on both sides of the courtroom and gets results. I very highly recommend him.

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